Art Week Blog-Full Steam Ahead

Posted 26 July 2013 12:00 AM by Citi Center ArtWeek Staff

When was the last time you read a headlining article about the arts in your city or town’s local business news outlet? Well, the recent grant from ArtPlace for the launch of ArtWeek in Boston/Cambridge helped us break through the “glass ceiling” when the Boston Business Journal gave the project an important nod of support with its “Forget Restaurant Week – ArtWeek launches in Boston” article in May. Other media also picked up the story – all positive signs that ArtWeek is poised to become a new creative tradition in Boston, Cambridge, and hopefully, well beyond!

So, what is ArtWeek exactly? ArtWeek is a celebration of the arts. It is a series of curated events/experiences throughout the city that highlight the quality and diversity of arts, culture, and entertainment in Boston. Creatively modeled on Restaurant Week, all ArtWeek events and experiences will have ‘prix fixe’ pricing options starting at FREE, so there is definitely something for everyone. Additionally, ten local school-based arts education programs will be selected each ‘week’ as charitable partners to receive $500. These awards will be based on the proceeds from an e-auction supported by donations supplied by all participants.

After finding out about ArtPlace support, we have moved at lightning speed! We’ve created a landing page (check it out here) with links to event examples, social media, and more. The press coverage about ArtPlace’s support has also generated excitement among new partners who are inspired by ArtWeek’s creative and economic vision. But most stimulating are the breadth of inquiries from the creative community on how they can become part of ArtWeek and their ideas. ArtWeek promises to deliver unique experiences for every taste bud!

Often the simplest ideas are the best ones, and when it really melds, the community comes alive with support. Sometimes we spend too much time trying to reinvent the wheel, when there are already so many ‘natural resources’ that already exist and can be leveraged in new ways. As Steve Jobs said “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.” We think ArtWeek has that kind of creative potential - to connect people, places, and extraordinary experiences in a new way. And based on the enthusiastic response we’ve had so far, others clearly feel the same.

Check back on our monthly progress reports here, or find out more via these links: